Hypatia of Alexandria (Revealing Antiquity , No 8)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • One of History's Great Women
  • Hypatia of Alexandria
  • Legend and history.
  • Female Socrates
  • Going behind the curtain . . .
Hypatia of Alexandria (Revealing Antiquity , No 8)
Maria Dzielska
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  4. The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World (Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 7) The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World (Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 7)
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ASIN: 0674437764

Book Description

Hypatia--brilliant mathematician, eloquent Neoplatonist, and a woman renowned for her beauty--was brutally murdered by a mob of Christians in Alexandria in 415. She has been a legend ever since. In this engrossing book, Maria Dzielska searches behind the legend to bring us the real story of Hypatia's life and death, and new insight into her colorful world.

Historians and poets, Victorian novelists and contemporary feminists have seen Hypatia as a symbol--of the waning of classical culture and freedom of inquiry, of the rise of fanatical Christianity, or of sexual freedom. Dzielska shows us why versions of Hypatia's legend have served her champions' purposes, and how they have distorted the true story. She takes us back to the Alexandria of Hypatia's day, with its Library and Museion, pagan cults and the pontificate of Saint Cyril, thriving Jewish community and vibrant Greek culture, and circles of philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, and militant Christians. Drawing on the letters of Hypatia's most prominent pupil, Synesius of Cyrene, Dzielska constructs a compelling picture of the young philosopher's disciples and her teaching. Finally she plumbs her sources for the facts surrounding Hypatia's cruel death, clarifying what the murder tells us about the tensions of this tumultuous era.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars One of History's Great Women.......2007-09-08

Whether your interest is women scholars or female scientists in antiquity, Christian history or pagan philosophy, this book is a major eye-opener. Hypatia--and all her female colleagues--deserve to be remembered, and Dzielska deserves credit for helping preserve their story.

4 out of 5 stars Hypatia of Alexandria.......2005-09-11

For those who have never heard of Hypatia the back of this book gives you a quick summary of the woman:

'Hypatia - brilliant mathematician, eloquent Neoplatonist, and a woman renowned for her beauty - was brutally murdered by a mob of Christians in Alexandria in 415. She has been a legend ever since.'

This book is thin (106 pages, an additional forty to fifty provide sources, notes, and an index yet, despite its size, it manages to pull together a summary of Hypatia's life from the texts of the time by people lsuch as Socrates Scholasticus and Synesius.

Essentially, it's an interpretation of these historical texts that reconstructs who Hypatia was, how she lived, and why she was brutally murdered.

The book begins by examining the enduring legend of Hypatia by looking at the literary references in which she is portrayed (19th Century novels, and poetry) and continues to examine her by looking at the people who lived around here. Moving on, Dzielska looks at Hypatia herself from trying to determine the year of her birth to describing the terrible death to which she succumbed and, looks at who - ultimately - was responsible.* After looking at Hypatia, the author resolves the woman's history and offers a conclusion to her book.

It was certainly an interesting book in both the uncommon subject matter and the way that the life within was completely reconstructed from writings of the day as none of Hypatia's work is believed to exist anymore. It does not cover life in Alexandria or describe the Great Library but, as the title suggests, this is not about Alexandria - there will, no doubt, be books on that topic.

It's worth reading if a) you have an interest in philosophy or mathematics; or b) you are a feminist looking for a new heroine. (She was, afterall, the only major female of scientific note prior to Marie Curie.)


* She was stripped naked, dragged through the streets to a church, where many proceeded to strip the flesh from her bones using broken pottery. Her remains were then tossed on a fire.

5 out of 5 stars Legend and history........2003-05-23

Prof. Dzielska unravels the real life and murder of Hypatia.
Instead of the legendary young virgin martyr for paganism, she sketches a, for the period, remarkable older woman and teacher of neoplatonism and tolerance.
Her murder was instigated by the vicious ploys of a jealous catholic archbishop and executed by his ignorant mob. It was a political murder.

This book should be read because it treats of an age-old conflict that still rages in the world today: the power struggle between the civil (secular) and religious authorities.

This small work is a difficult (based on very few original sources), but very convincing reconstitution of the life of one of the very few known remarkable women of that age. A revealing work.

5 out of 5 stars Female Socrates.......2001-01-21

Socrates was executed by the state of Athens as a scapegoat for its defeat by the Spartans. His crime was being a free thinker in a short age of turmoil. He was however fondly remembered and documented. Hypatia was first brought to my attention by Carl Sagan in his television series Cosmos. She has often been represented as a pillar of wisdom in an age of growing dogma. Unlike with Socrates we know much less about her life and teachings. She is remembered precisely as a martyr who was sacrificed rather than executed by a literalist Christian mob inspired by "St" Cyril, apparently as she was regarded as a threat to Christendom and theology by certain regio-political figures. Enough material on her survived not least owing to the strong memories evoked at the manner of her despatch which turned her into a historical icon.

This excellent short well sourced book is a biographic scenography in the best sense of the word. It does not sadly cover the destruction of the great library or go into great length about the history and politics of 4th century Alexandria but it blows the cobwebs and embelishments that are associated with this enigmatic figure leaving a strong, uncompromising educated presence who would have been of extreme high standing to have obtained the death she received at the hands of bigots.

The importance of Hypatia is that she represents a phase in history where Greek religion was being destroyed by the then politicised Roman state religion. Hypatia represents a tragic victim of this dark phase when a great deal of knowledge was irrevocably lost (e.g.Gandy and Freke, the Jesus Mysteries etc.,).

To know the real Hypatia, and that phase of history, this is one of the best places to begin.

5 out of 5 stars Going behind the curtain . . ........2000-07-31

Those who have an interest in the Fourth Century are familiar with the name Hypatia of Alexandria. Unfortunately she has become a figure of legend and myth. Maria Dzielska's small, short book (106 pages, each about 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" ) first examines the various persons that made her a myth, as well as their motivations. It then goes to the source documents, sorts through the credibility of each, and then redraws our picture of Hypatia. (For example, most encyclopedias give Hypatia's date of birth as about 370. Dzielska builds a strong case that she was born about 15 years earlier than that, and was in her 60's when she was murdered). This book excels in distinguishing fact from fiction - in other words it is a work of historical research. Dzielska also points out where her knowledge ends and her inferences begin. This virtue - once known as humility - also contributes to the value of this book. As one would expect, it has an annotated bibliography ("Sources"), is fully footnoted, and includes a good index. Those whose interest in Hypatia involves "her meaning" may be disappointed; those who want the truth about her will find this a useful piece of research and analysis. Maria Dzielska's book could be used as a sourcebook on HOW historical figures are appropriated for the political or religious agendas of persons less interested in "the facts" than "making a point". This alone makes it of wider interest than it might otherwise appear.
Remembering Hypatia: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Murder of Reason
  • Great story
  • Great Take on a Great Woman
  • Book Order
  • Great Read
Remembering Hypatia: A Novel of Ancient Egypt
Brian Trent
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595342523

Book Description

___________________

On a November night in Egypt, 414 A.D., one of history's most brilliant individuals was assassinated. Her name was Hypatia, teacher and scientist of the fabled Great Library of Alexandria and the last glimmer of hope before the Dark Ages.
___________________


The Roman Empire is crumbling, the fragments of the classical world regrouping in Egypt when Thasos, son of an ill-fated scholar, meets Hypatia of Alexandria. Astronomer, mathematician, and philosopher at a time when women were shunned from learning, Hypatia is a daring visionary in a world about to change forever.

As an insidious power-struggle erupts between church and state Hypatia finds herself at the forefront of battle, but she is not alone. Those who cherish her, who will remember her, become her allies - including the powerful Governor Orestes, who keeps his consuming love for her as secret as she keeps her feelings from him.

Remembering Hypatia is a vivid retelling of a now-forgotten historical tragedy, when courage stood against fear, when the legacy of the wise vanished in the dark. Author Brian Trent resurrects the ancient world's most famous metropolis and explores the final days, not just of a brilliant mind, but of a lost era. . .

BASED ON THE TRUE STORY

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Murder of Reason.......2007-07-25

The great city is a peaceful melting pot of mankind, brimming over with a variety of race and religions. In a world where bearded barbarians wreak senseless violence on faraway cities, this place is a bastion of civilization and tolerance; rational people feel lucky to live in safety from terror here. But still, the danger of religious fanaticism is growing, and a woman scientist and teacher will soon find herself in mortal danger, partly because her free-thinking ways threaten the power of certain theological leaders, but mostly because she is a woman who dares to stand out among men ... Is this a story of our modern times, a warning of how religion can be used to teach hatred and given as an excuse to commit evil deeds? Not exactly ...

This is a story of Egypt in 414 A.D. The great city is Alexandria; the terrorists are Visigoths; and the fundamentalist fanatics are early Christians, plying their growing strength against the science and philosophies of intellectuals. First the Alexandrians lose their freedom to worship as they wish; then their freedom to think as they wish is threatened. And Hypatia, a woman of remarkable brilliance and charisma, pays the ultimate price for her intelligence, her unorthodox beliefs, and her gender. Although this story happened nearly two thousand years ago, we Americans can shiver with apprehension. The issues may be different - pagan temples and astronomy instead of same-sex marriage and stem cell research -- but the parallels are undeniable. And when religion overcame reason in Alexandria, an age of darkness descended which lasted a thousand years.

"If nothing else, Hypatia thought, history is like a planet continually traversing the same path around a sun. Just when you think something's over, it comes looming back from the gloom on yet another pass."

Brian Trent brings the 5th century world of Alexandria to life with vivid imagery, unforgettable characters, and every-day details which prove life in the ancient world was not so different from our own.

Dianne Salerni
Author of High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance

4 out of 5 stars Great story.......2007-05-23

I do not know who said that history does not repeat itself but has a tendancy to echo, nevertheless I think it could apply to the fundamental lesson contained in this historical novel. I did think I was getting a history book rather than a novel so I deducted one star. I am a star scrooge. I will be recommending this novel to people, nice one Brian.

5 out of 5 stars Great Take on a Great Woman.......2007-02-08

"Remembering Hypatia" is a great take on one of history's greatest minds, the last Librarian of Alexandria, Hypatia. It's set in 414 BCE instead of what I consider "ancient" Egypt (pre-Roman conquest), so I think that the title is a little misleading. It makes you weep at how much knowledge the world lost when misguided, bigoted religious fanatics burned the Library of Alexandria.

5 out of 5 stars Book Order.......2006-09-02

Ordered several books which I received faster than expected in perfect condition. great job!

5 out of 5 stars Great Read.......2006-07-01

Hypatia was a remarkable real life woman. An astronomer, physicist, philosopher, and head librarian of the famed Library of Alexander. She is credited with the invention of the astrolabe. She lived however, in a time of rising religious tensions and as a woman who was teaching and a representative of a scientific world view she made an easy scapegoat.

Brian Trent does an excellent job of interweaving the lives of the characters and the intersecting themes of religion, science, and sexism. The time period comes to life in his writing as well. The multi-cultural, pluralistic Alexandria with its Egyptian, Jewish, Christian, and other inhabitants feels vibrant. The author does a great job of adding the authentic touches of scenery and surroundings. It was easy to feel connection to this long ago time period while reading this book. Indeed the message of this tale is still relevant today. Fundamentalism is on the rise and with it a rejection of alternative world views including science as well as a desire to hold women more rigidly in traditional sex roles. While on the flip side commercial society often overly encourages young women to seek attention through their sexuality and obsess about their weight and appearance rather than to really challenge their minds. It seems to me there are better possibilities for women and society in general than either of these extremes. Remembering Hypatia is a well written, thought provoking story of the life and times of an accomplished woman that has parallels to today's world.


Hypatia
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    Hypatia
    Charles Kingsley
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    Hypatia: Special Issue : Feminism and Peace (A Hypatia Book)
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      Hypatia: Special Issue : Feminism and Peace (A Hypatia Book)
      Karen J. Warren
      Manufacturer: Indiana Univ Pr
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      Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Very good
      • A specialist's view
      Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr
      Michael A. B. Deakin
      Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
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      Book Description

      In the late fourth and early fifth centuries of our era, Hypatia of Alexandria was the world's greatest living mathematician and astronomer. A strikingly beautiful woman and a devoted celibate, she lived in a city as turbulent and troubled as Baghdad or Beirut is today. She achieved fame not only in her special field, but also as a philosopher, religious thinker, and teacher who attracted a large popular following. Her life ended tragically in violence at the hands of a rampaging mob of Christian fanatics, who killed her for her "pagan" beliefs, some say at the instigation of St. Cyril of Alexandria.

      This is the first biography of Hypatia to integrate all aspects of her life. Mathematician Michael Deakin emphasizes that, though she was a philosopher, she was first and foremost a mathematician and astronomer of great accomplishment. In a fascinating narrative that brings to life a richly diverse ancient society, he describes her work so that the mathematics, presented in straightforward terms, finds its true place in the context of her life as a whole. Deakin supplies full detail on the historical, intellectual, and religious context of Hypatia's times. He also analyzes the pattern of her life and thought, and finally gives an account of the events leading up to her lynch-mob execution.

      Although this outrageous crime has made Hypatia a powerful symbol of intellectual freedom and feminist aspiration to this day, Deakin makes clear that the important intellectual contributions of her life's work should not be overshadowed by her tragic death.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Very good.......2007-09-19

      This book is very good. The historical context about Hypatia's time and life is very interesting. Read this book, you'll learn much more about the christian's church in the first times.

      4 out of 5 stars A specialist's view.......2007-07-27

      This is a difficult book to evaluate. Deakin is a mathematician, not a classical historian, and apart from his discussion of Hypatia's place in Alexandrian mathematics, this biography contains little that is not already to be found elsewhere, most notably in Dzielska's study. Deakin does a reasonable job of putting Hypatia in a cultural context, but his understanding of late antiquity is superficial and admittedly garnered largely from encyclopedias. On the other hand, he has closely studied the sources for Hypatia's life (which he includes in an appendix) and the meagre evidence for her influence on philosophy and science. His introduction to astrolabes and conic sections is of some intrinsic interest and helps illuminate the state of knowledge in the fifth century, but since we have not one shred of writing that is inarguably Hypatia's work, the connection is rather tenuous. Nonetheless Deakin's conclusions give a valuable new perspective on this best-known of female Hellenists: one of a teacher with a wide range of interests, if not an original thinker.
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              5 out of 5 stars Great book.......2007-05-13

              the book covers every kind of sauce you could imagine, so it's a great reference as well as a "recipe" book. I love to make my own sauces to that I can control the additives, and this book takes the guesswork out of figuring out quantity as well as quality.

              5 out of 5 stars A home cook's go-to book.......2006-06-22

              Quite frankly, having no more than 30-45 min. after work to fix dinner for a family everyday, I will invariably go for the dish with the least amount of work. As such, roasting, quick sauteeing, grilling, etc. are what meats, poulty and seafood are subjected to nightly in my kitchen.

              Having "Get Saucy" is of tremendous help to me. I'm able to vary and improve the tastes of our everyday fare. I'm not making the same spaghetti sauces or the same gravies week in and week out. I've made about a dozen sauces, pestos, marinades, etc. from this book and each one has been simply delicious. I will usually prepare the sauce the night before, stick it in the fridge and warm it up or incorporate it with what's cooking for dinner next day.

              As to whether the sauces in this book are authentic or not hardly concerns me. If it's quick to prepare, reasonable in cost, tasty and complementary to the main dishes and sides I cook, then it's a keeper for me.

              5 out of 5 stars Highly Recommened Time-Saver!.......2006-01-22

              This gem threw itself at me in my local cooking store and I have been very happily "saucing!" Sure, there are many wonderful books on sauces already, some very sophisticated and some not. This book is a mix of both worlds. It is like someone has gone through all my cookbooks (and there are many...) and pulled out most of the sauces, from classic to fusion. It is well organized, directions are clear, ingredients are easily obtained (and if you are a card-carrying foodie like me, you already have almost ALL the ingredients already...) and it has a great pairing section for easy, no-brainer combinations of sauces for salads, pork, fish, beef, desserts, etc. This book helps spiff up whatever you are serving from salad to dessert.

              My very first experience with the book successfully hooked me. Having scored a counter-top, electric roaster for Christmas, I have been experimenting with the cooker to see what it can and cannot do by using larger roasts, chickens, etc. Granted my 16 year-old is 6'1" and eats eight meals a day, but left-overs are not his cup of tea. After you slice off lovely large pieces of a six-pound pork roast for Sunday dinner, what the heck do you do with the rest to make it interesting and different and creative without a degree from the CIA? Grab this book: Sunday, I roasted the six-pound roast and served it with the "Creamy Sherry Vinegar Pan Sauce"; Monday, I cubed some of the meat and served it over rice with the "Sweet-And-Sour Stir-Fry Sauce", pineapple and some green peppers; Wednesday, the rest of the roast got shredded and mixed with "Smoky Texas-Style BBQ Sauce" and was served with coleslaw on hamburger rolls to my son and two of his friends. The plates were clean.

              Now, THAT's economical, and fun! Three meals for the cost of one pork roast (on special, by the way) all very different and very tasty. This is not gourmet cooking, I know, I know...but at 5:30 pm on a week-night when my creative juices are well, not as "juicy" as I'd like, this is just fine by me.

              My only complaint was that my book is a paperback. But Amazon has again saved the day: Just ordered the hardcover for myself and my daughter will get this one.

              5 out of 5 stars very thorough collection, inviting and approachable.......2005-06-08

              I've been a subscriber to Food and Wine magazine for years and have really come
              to depend on Parisi's recipes. So when I read about her book Get Saucy
              recently, I was very excited for its release.
              I found the collection of recipes to be thorough and the recipes themselves
              concise and totally approachable. I've nearly made my way through the pesto
              chapter and particularly loved the Wild Mushroom and Herb pesto, Scallion
              Macadamia Nut pesto, Green Chile Scallion pesto and Romesco. The fact that
              these are not included in the pasta sauce chapter was initially a little odd,
              but upon closer reading, the reason becomes clear. Pestos have multiple uses
              that most of us wouldn't ordinarily think of. To put that to the test, I tried
              the Green Chile pesto worked into meatballs and inside quesadillas and it was
              super!My only quibble is that I wanted more than the recipe made. Next time
              I'll double it.
              I also liked how the author begins a chapter with a standard type of recipe and
              then makes numerous variations. If my pantry lacked a certain ingredient, I
              always felt like there was something else I could make or find some
              approximation since she offers lots of alternatives to harder to find
              ingredients.
              Based on my level of cooking, I'm sort of glad Parisi didn't include the dozens
              of classic French sauces she could have. Though interesting historically, I'd
              never make most of them anyway. She makes a good point that the ones she did
              include probably have the most universal appeal or at least are the most
              indicative of the technique.
              I quite enjoy reading the informative, quirky and anecdotal headnotes. They
              make good reading and spark my interest. One issue I have with the organization
              of the book however, is that the side bars, recipes contained in boxes and
              other tips aren't included in the index. You have to read through a chapter to
              find that information. It would be helpful to have those recipes at least
              included in the index. I tried the Stir-Fried Beef with Scallions and Mushroom,
              a recipe that shows you how to use a stir-fry sauce and it was delicious. There
              is a page at the back that lists all those recipes, but it should be easier to
              find them. The index otherwise is so overwhelmingly complete. The Sauce Index
              by Suggested Use breaks down the food groups and pairs food with them.
              Brilliant.
              It seems fitting (though maybe a bit contrived) to end the book with dessert
              sauces. But I'm never too full at the end of a meal to have something sweet and
              I guess the same could be said of reading and using this book.

              4 out of 5 stars Extremely broad collection of recipes. Weak writing........2005-05-28

              `Get Saucy' by food writer Grace Parisi is based on a really terrific idea and it has a great value as a multiplier of diversity in familiar dishes with relatively little effort spent learning new recipes. The biggest problem with the book is that this general subject of sauces has already been addressed by James Peterson's classic, award winning book `Sauces' which was so good and so popular, it warranted a second edition, something very uncommon in the world of cookbooks.

              Ms. Parisi's book would not suffer much in comparison with Peterson's work if Parisi had not gone too far in simplifying great classic recipes, possibly in the interests of making recipes easier for the amateur cook. But then, this means that you think you are getting a pedigreed dog when you are actually getting a half-breed. The best example I found of this is in the comparison of Parisi and Peterson's recipes for `beurre blanc', French for `white butter', a relatively simple, extremely useful sauce of butter flavored with shallots, wine, and vinegar. The great value of this sauce is that it is a relatively crude emulsion similar to a vinaigrette which can be whipped back into shape easily instead of going through a lot of high maintenance procedures to bring back mayonnaise or hollandaise. It is most notable in being the darling of `nouvelle cuisine' because it was much lighter than bechamel or veloute. I say all this to emphasize that cutting corners in the presentation of this sauce is a more serious shortcoming of this book than one may think.

              One can argue that while Peterson's book was written for professional cooks and Parisi's book has been written `for the rest of us', I will only recommend Parisi to those who simply want a quick and easy reference book for lots of common sauces which appear day in and day out in magazines, newspaper columns, and TV cooking shows. Having all these recipes in a single place with the added value of lots of cross references telling us what sauces are good for what dishes and ingredients. If you are a foodie or simply a serious amateur cook of any stripe, get James Peterson's book instead of this one.

              For example, Peterson spends four pages discussing `beurre blanc' versus Parisi's half page column. Where Parisi gives an abbreviated (incomplete) recipe, Peterson, after giving us the historical perspective on the sauce, gives the full recipe in six steps (versus three in Parisi) and detailed instructions on how to store leftover sauce, including tips on how leftovers can be used in future hollandaise or béarnaise sauces. In the twice as long procedure for preparing the sauce, Peterson adds tips on what to look for to prevent bad things from happening, adds the butter over high heat rather than low for quicker incorporation, and adds checkpoints to taste the sauce for any needed adjustments. The most important step that Parisi leaves out entirely is the suggestion to strain the sauce before using. I have used `buerre blanc' both strained and unstrained and I am certain the strained version is superior, especially when entertaining. The bits of shallot remind one far too much of a vinaigrette and add little to the taste. Parisi would have done well to add this step as an option.

              Now such differences in a single recipe may seem a bit trivial for lowering the rating of a 440-page book that has genuine value and lots of high-powered blurbs on the back cover from Jacques Pepin and Bobby Flay. But I find minor annoying things on every other page. For example, I think the organization of chapters is poorly done. Why have a chapter for pasta sauces when you have separate chapters on tomato sauces and pestos?

              Other annoyances are based simply on the lack of skill used in the writing. In one sidebar on how to fix a broken hollandaise, I found two or three redundant expressions within two sentences. In another recipe, I was puzzled when the instructions had me putting butter in a microwave safe dish, with no instruction to put the dish in a microwave.

              I also found other recipes that are not as good as ones available in standard texts. Ms. Parisi's recipe for Puttanesca sauce takes 17 minutes of cooking time while what is essentially the same ingredients are cooked up within 10 minutes in the `Cooks illustrated' version in their `Italian Classics' book. Aside from being outrageously flavorful, Puttanesca's main claim to fame is the speed with which it can be made. So, Ms. Parisi certainly does not have `the best recipe'.

              In the long run, I think Ms. Parisi did an excellent job of collecting an amazingly comprehensive selection of sauce recipes that perform exactly the function she intends. That is, it multiplies the amateur cook's ability to vary dishes far beyond what can be offered by just another book of recipes. My only reservation is that the amateur needs to apply just a little critical judgment in applying sauces to dishes, and Ms. Parisi does provide the material with which to make good choices. I suspect Ms. Parisi and especially her copy editors may have been just a bit less careful than they should have in checking out English usage and recipe pedigrees. The very best thing this book could have included would have been a reference to each and every recipe to books that give more information and alternatives to Parisi's material.

              I will still recommend this book to people who just want a fast reference to sauces, dressings, stocks, and salsas. But, I would recommend Peterson's `Sauces' to the serious amateur.

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